Day 42

23 miles

Slept like shit last night. Pitched the tent on a hill on accident and I rolled so far I knocked a trekking pole out that was keeping my tent up while it was raining. Didn’t get much sleep at all and the some I did get was not great so we are setting off this morning not no enthused.

The morning drags on for the first hour or two until we get into a bridge with a small river running underneath that had some small pools of water that seemed like a perfect place to take a dip. The problem is, is that usually when we run into places like this the weather is really bad or it’s a weird time of day for a swim. We decided today at 9:30 am was not a weird time to swim so we stripped to our skivys and jumped in. The water was freezing so we didn’t stay long but it was just what we needed to wake up a bit.

About twelve miles into our day there was a random store/restaurant called Bushy Mountain Outpost. It’s a small convenience store that carries a small hiker resupply and makes some damn good burgers and milkshakes. I ordered the griddle burger which was essentially a grilled cheese with a patty, lettuce, tomato, and onion. With Cajun fries. Really hit the spot but my hiker hunger is kicking in. I went back for a lemonade, chocolate milk, and a banana pudding milkshake. Life is good.

The rest of the day was gentle ups and downs. Virginia has been really nice for hiking. The mountain laurels are blooming along with the azaleas and the rhododendrons.

I got to call mom and on the final hour of the hike. They are driving down to Southern California today to see my two brothers so I caught both of them together in the car. Had a great chat and the last 4 miles flew by. Very good chance of rain tonight